The Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) (Private) Limited (AASL) has reported a 14.08% increase in international passenger movements and a 15.35% increase in international aircraft movements from January to September 2025. According to an AASL statement, the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA), and the Jaffna International Airport (JIA) welcomed a total of 7,559,699 passengers during this period, with arrivals and departures nearly evenly split, 49.15% arrivals and 50.85% departures. Transit traffic remained strong, with 680,821 passengers passing through, reinforcing its strategic role in regional and long-haul connectivity. Of the total arrivals, 1,706,308 were tourists…
The Sri Lankan Report
All Members of Parliament have been requested to wear pink or pink-shaded attire tomorrow (22), in commemoration of the “Global Breast Cancer Awareness Month of October”. Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne informed the MPs in this regard during the Parliament session held today. The Speaker also announced that the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus has arranged to distribute a badge to all Members of Parliament at the Members’ Entrance tomorrow. (Newswire) The post Speaker calls on MPs to mark Breast Cancer Awareness with pink attire appeared first on Newswire.
The following 8-member Sri Lanka squad will take part in the Hong Kong Sixes Cricket Tournament which will be held from 7th to 9th November. The tournament will be played at the Tin Kwong Road Recreation Ground. 1.) Lahiru Madushanka – Captain 2.) Dhananjaya Lakshan 3.) Thanuka Dabare 4.) Nimesh Vimukthi 5.) Lahiru Samarakoon 6.) Tharindu Rathnayake 7.) Sachitha Jayatilake 8.) Movin Subasinghe – Standby The post Hong Kong Sixes : Sri Lanka team announced appeared first on Newswire.
ECONOMYNEXT –Sri Lanka Customs has achieved 90 percent of its revenue target by October 20 after exceeding the monthly targets every month, the government data showed. Sri Lanka Customs has set a revenue target of 2,115 billion rupees for this year, 36.2 percent higher than last year’s 1,553 million rupees. The revenue collection body of the government has collected 1,906 billion rupees as of October 20 to achieve over 90 percent of this year’s target, the data showed. The Customs collected record monthly revenue of 253.2 billion rupees in September this year and the highest ever daily collection of 24.9…
GovPay has facilitated over 21,600 online traffic fine payments since its launch in April 2025, generating more than Rs. 28 million in government revenue. According to the Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA), the system continues to expand nationwide, providing citizens with a faster, more transparent, and efficient method to settle traffic fines. Implemented under the Ministry of Digital Economy in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Police and LankaPay (Pvt) Ltd, GovPay enables motorists to pay fines online without visiting police stations or banks. The digital platform was first introduced through pilot projects in Kurunegala, Anuradhapura, and Matale Districts, followed…
The West Indies created history in Dhaka by becoming the first team in men’s One-Day International cricket to bowl all 50 overs with spin. Playing against Bangladesh at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, the West Indies opted for an all-spin attack throughout the innings — a first in ODI history. The previous highest number of spin overs in a men’s ODI was 44, a record held by Sri Lanka on three occasions: against the West Indies in 1996, New Zealand in 1998, and Australia in 2004. All five bowlers used by the West Indies were spinners, as conditions in Dhaka…
Minister of Health Nalinda Jayatissa informed Parliament today that no decision has been taken to remove the car pass stickers provided to doctors and lawyers. Addressing the house, Minister Jayatissa said no such decision has been taken by the government, including the Department of Motor Traffic and Police. He further said the car passes are provided to identify doctors as well as to provide them with easy access to hospitals. “The government does not expect to remove any such identification document,” he added. The Health Minister made the remarks in response to a question raised by Opposition MP Rohitha Abeygunawardena.…
The Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Modern Technologies will hold an open day and exhibition to celebrate its 40th anniversary. According to the institution, the open day will be held for the public, including school and university students. School children, university students and students from tech institutes will be given an opportunity to showcase their creations at the exhibition. Applications/tools based on robotics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), IoT-based and astronomy-related creations can be registered through the phone numbers 011-2650569 / 011-2650838 or website www.accimt.ac.lk. The open days will be held on November 12 for industries and on November 13 for students…
ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s Colombo Stock Exchange closed up on Tuesday as heavy buying was seen in banks and diversified financials, brokers said. “The upward trend continued, with strong buying interest in the second tier banks and finance companies in particular,” Dimantha Mathew, Chief Research and Strategy Officer at First Capital Holdings PLC, said. “Bullish sentiment was seen around banks like NDB and Seylan, mainly due to evaluations.” The All Share Price Index closed up 0.66 percent, or 149.82 points, at 22,783.62; while the S&P SL20 closed up 0.47 percent, or 29.24 points, at 6,292.27. Turnover was 7.42 billion rupees.…
A special workshop on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to transform the public service into a productive and efficient one was held for government executive officers recently (17). According to the President’s Office, the workshop, titled “AI for Transforming Public Service”, was held at the Rabindranath Tagore Memorial Auditorium of the University of Ruhuna. Executive-level government officers from the Galle, Matara and Hambantota districts participated in the workshop, organised by the Southern Provincial Council in collaboration with the Presidential Secretariat and the Ministry of Digital Economy. The workshop aimed to create awareness and preparedness among public officers as an…
Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security, and Cooperative Development, Wasantha Samarasinghe, participated in the opening ceremony of the 16th United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), held in Geneva, Switzerland, on Monday (20). This conference is the UN’s premier forum on trade and development. It brings together leaders from 195 member states, including heads of state, trade and economic ministers, heads of international organizations, Nobel laureate economists, civil society groups, development banks, financial institutions, and global trade organizations, to discuss current global trade, finance, investment, technological trends, and challenges. As the UN’s highest decision-making body on trade and development,…
The Sri Lankan Rupee has appreciated slightly against the US Dollar today (21), compared to last Friday. According to the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, the buying rate of the US Dollar has reduced from Rs. 299.24 to Rs. 299.22, while the selling rate has also dropped from Rs. 306.76 to Rs. 306.71. The Sri Lankan Rupee has also appreciated against a basket of foreign currencies, while it has depreciated against Gulf currencies. (Newswire) The post Today’s CBSL official exchange rates appeared first on Newswire.
All MPs are expected to wear pink tomorrow in order to mark breast cancer month.
Deadly cough syrups recently linked to child deaths in India have set off alarm bells across the region, with Sri Lankan authorities on alert to keep unsafe medicines out of local markets.
Outgoing Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba resigned with his cabinet on Tuesday, marking an end to the administration that took office just over a year ago.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has issued a Gazette notification amending the scopes, functions, departments, statutory bodies, and state corporations of several ministries following the recent cabinet reshuffle.
Vehicle prices in Sri Lanka have fallen by Rs. 1 million to Rs. 1.5 million in recent weeks, according to the Vehicle Importers’ Association of Lanka. Association President Indika Sampath Merinchige said the drop follows a decline in demand and reduced auction prices in Japan. Vehicles that were previously sold for around Rs. 10 million are now cheaper by about Rs. 500,000, while those in the Rs. 20 million range have dropped by Rs. 1–1.5 million, importers told Newswire. Industry sources say the market has slowed down due to a lack of consumer enthusiasm, higher taxes, and new import registration…
South Korean police said they would seek an arrest warrant for a woman who set fire to her apartment building while trying to kill a cockroach with an improvised flamethrower, local media report.
The Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka and the National Gem and Jewellery Authority (NGJA) have jointly called on all gem and jewellery dealers to strengthen compliance with anti-money laundering regulations by properly identifying customers and appointing Compliance Officers for their businesses. According to the FIU, every gem and jewellery dealer is legally required to appoint a Compliance Officer under Sri Lanka’s anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorist-financing framework. The officer will be responsible for ensuring that all transactions adhere to financial regulations and that customer verification procedures are strictly followed. Dealers must collect key information from customers…
The Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) said that technical issues which caused a recent disruption to the Lanka Government Cloud (LGC) services have been fully resolved, with all affected online government platforms now operational.